April 2008 – Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good

But In A Way, Those Really Were The Wonder Years…

This is my last week of school for what probably will be the rest of my life. I have 3 more classes and a couple exams then its into the real world for me. Either because I enjoy excessive introspection or just love making lists, here is my musical (both personal and general) history of every year that I’ve been in school, with a bit of personal stuff thrown in. Nothing like a little nostalgia for your Wednesday afternoon, right? Click here to see the whole post.

Me in Elementary (w/ sister and pumpkin)

Pre-Kindergarten (1991)

I don’t think I was listening to music (except maybe Raffi) at this age but if I could go back I’d definitely reach for Achtung Baby, Loveless, Leisure, and Out of Time. I may even treat myself to Use Your Illusion or Nevermind occasionally.

MP3 U2 – One

Kindergarten (1992)

Kindergarden was all about Pavement for me. No not really, but 92 was the year that brought us Slanted & Enchanted, Automatic for the People, Bizzarre Ride II, and the songs “No Rain” and “Friday I’m In Love”.

MP3 Blind Melon – No Rain

1st Grade (1993)

When I was in first grade I was in the middle of a big move from Galveston, TX to Peoria IL, so I didn’t have much time to be listening to music. If I had though I would definitely be picking up some Wu-Tang, In Utero, Siamese Dream, Zooropa, Transmissions for the Satellite Heart, and Pablo Honey. Also I probably would be jamming out to “Whoomp! There It Is”, “Twin Princes” and “I Saw The Sign” on a daily basis.

MP3 Spin Doctors – Two Princes

2nd Grade (1994)

1994 was a great year for music. Unfortunately I was too busy watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and learning phonics in Mrs. Gullet’s class to pay too much attention. Anway, the year brought us Parklife, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Blue Album, Grace, Definitely Maybe, and Bee Thousand as well as debuts from Elliott Smith, The Sea and Cake, and Sunny Day Real Estate. The one song I remember listening to this year was Beck’s “Loser”.

MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate – In Circles

3rd Grade (1995)

3rd grade was all about Pogs. If you had an awesome slammer you were soooo in. Meanwhile Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, What’s the Story Morning Glory, Blur’s The Great Escape, Liquid Swords, and Elliott Smith’s s/t were hitting the shelves. Belle & Sebastian, Neutral Milk Hotel and Wilco released their debuts this year and Radiohead created The Bends.

MP3 Elliott Smith – Needle In The Hay

4th Grade (1996)

I really got into music this year. Unfortunately it was Christian Rock like DC Talk and the Newsboys. If I knew anything about anything I would have been jamming to Odelay, Pinkerton, Being There, Jeremy Enigk’s Return of the Frog Queen, and of course, If You’re Feeling Sinister. I did have quite a thing for No Doubt though.

MP3 Belle & Sebastian – Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying

5th Grade (1997)

In 5th grade, I was obsessed with the Chicago Bulls, everyones hormones were going out of control as puberty set in, and I spent half of the school year playing Axis and Allies in Mr. Wallace’s class (for a “WWII assignment”). Musically It was one of the best years ever. OK Computer obviously was the big one, but also: Blur, Urban Hymns, Homework, Either/Or, I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, The Lonesome Crowded West, Of Montreal’s debut. Personally I was totally into Third Eye Blind’s s/t.

MP3 Radiohead – Karma Police

Click below to see the rest!

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Another day, another way for me to (buh buh) open up to you

Jamie Lidell is one iPod commercial away from becoming the breakout artist of 2008, and with this amazing of a record that he’s putting out, he honestly deserves it even more than Feist did (not saying I’m not happy for the gal). Lidell’s follow up to 2005’s Multiply, simply entitled Jim, is one of my most consistently listened to records of the year and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon (especially with it’s very good-time summery feel). The man has been picking up comparisons left and right to Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding, you know all those 60’s/70’s soul artists that your parents probably love. Lidell has modernized his free-flowing melodies with a snazzy production and packed it with layers of pianos, horns, hand-clapping and gospel choirs, along with some subtle electronic beats (not to distract you from the retro feel).

The album starts off with “Another Day”, one of the breeziest and repeatedly listenable tracks I’ve heard of the year. Lidell’s soulful croon would put to shame any number of American Idol contestants. The breezy piano melody and the call-and-response with the backing gospel choir running through the song brings the song to the next level (and that’s not to mention the light spanish guitar, trumpets, and flute). “Where D’You Go” uses many of the same elements that make the man great, except this time it’s put to an upbeat jam. Jamie sings about how he’s “gonna have to get along without you” while the song bounces up and down the octave scale. I have no doubt that it’ll get you moving and put a smile on your face. Here’s a two-song sample of Jim. Make sure to pick it up tomorrow.

MP3 Jamie Lidell – Another Day
MP3 Jamie Lidell – Where D’You Go

“Another Day” Music Video
Stream Jim on Myspace

Islands – Live @ The IMC

After seeing the totally hilarious Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I headed over to the Independent Media Center (aka The IMC) to catch Canadian indie pop heroes, Islands. We were in for a big surprise when we got there and Headlights were playing. I had no idea they were on the bill and it was awesome to see them play their Some Racing, Some Stopping material again. The songs seemed much tighter than last time I saw them at the CD debut, which undoubtedly came from their ridiculous touring schedule.

Islands took the stage dressed in all black (but sans white makeup) and immediately went into the sprawling epic “Vertigo (If It’s A Crime)” which they then transitioned into “The Arm”. The six-member band did a wonderful job of recreating all the sounds from the album whether it was violin, keyboards, crazy tropical percussion, or clarinet. The band’s set consisted mostly of new songs which was perfectly fine with me since I’ve been jamming to Arm’s Way ever since it leaked a few week’s back. The two Asian violin/keyboard players (aka The Chow Brothers) were fun to watch, as they really got into the music and did some cool looping with their instrumentation.

The band threw in a couple of some old favorites such as “Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby”, “Volcanoes”, and “When There’s A Will, There’s A Whalebone” during the main set which brought much joy to the crowd. I was really expecting “Rough Gem” which Nick teased during one song but they opted not to play the song or “Jogging Gorgeous Summer” which is a personal fave of mine. Other than these slight setbacks the set was great and I loved seeing the new favorites like “Creeper” and “Pieces of You” live. The IMC turned out to be a great video for the band (especially with all the colorful paintings) and Nick even pointed out how much he liked the place.

Islands ended the main set with their previously-Unicorns-now-Islands song “Abominable Snow”. They nailed the punchy guitar and squeaky violin combo on the song, and although the the track hasn’t ever been officially released most of the crowd where I was standing knew all the words. The band couldn’t have picked a better encore in my opinion, they played a full 10 minute version of Swans (Life After Death) which I still think is band’s masterpiece. So overall I had a really fun night and Arm’s Way was cemented as one of my favorites of the year. You can pre-order Arm’s Way now at Insound or just grab it on May 20th when it’s released.

MP3 Swans (Life After Death)
MP3 The Arm
MP3 Creeper

Check out Pictures For Kids Who Can’t Read Good for my full set of photos from the night.

New Mates of State! "Get Better"

Mates of State is just about the best thing ever, just putting that out there. The band debuted their new single today, “Get Better” in video form and I think it’s easily one of best things the band’s ever done. The band hasn’t abandoned it’s core sound of keys, drums and wonderful harmonies but they are definitely continuing to expand their sonic boundaries with absolutely gorgeous use of strings and layered vocals. The sing-a-long build-up at the end of this song is absolutely euphoric. Holy flip, I love this band.

“Get Better” audio is below (low quality for now, sorry) and you can head over to youtube to watch the ultra-cute video (which may or may not be a sequel to that Bat for Lashes video from last year). Also, Is it just me or does Jason look a whole lot like Buddy Holly in that picture? Re-Arrange Us is out on May 20. Check here for more info.

MP3 Mates of State – Get Better

No Age

There’s a lot of bands doing ambient punk shoegaze thing out there but none of them are doing it as good as No Age. The band released a EP compilation album, Weirdo Rippers, last year on Sub Pop records to considerable acclaim and they are currently gearing up to release an album of completely new material entitled Nouns for the label. The album is full of noisy wall-of-sound guitars, crashing drums, mumbled punk vocals (that are still quite listenable), with some crazy good melodies mixed in with all that noise. There hasn’t been much music that I can truly rock out to this year (British Sea Power notwithstanding), so this album has been a very welcome shot of adrenaline for me.

The first three tracks on Nouns are all spectacular, I especially like the contrast between the heavy fuzz and jangly guitar on “Eraser”, but it’s the next track, “Teen Creeps”, that really does the best in showing the band’s potential. The song sounds like a lost mid-90’s classic except way noisier and better. The song takes the cake for sharp production and amazing guitar work and just overall kicks butt. “Brain Burner” is another killer track that shoots through the roof in terms of intensity level. The song is less than two minutes but it completely knocks you flat for that short time. Give it a listen, you’ll see what I mean.

MP3 Teen Creeps
MP3 Brain Burner

Pre-order Nouns here.

Video: Annuals – Sore

I have the latest Judd Apatow film starring a former Freaks and Geeks castmember and an Islands concert on my plate for tonight so I’m going make this a quick post and then jet out of here. Annuals released a fantastic EP earlier this month called Wet Zoo and the band released a video for the lead-off track last week.

It’s a CGI-animation type video that’s like Apocalypto if it was done by Pixar (even has a heartwarming, family-friendly ending). Might be a bit sappy and the animation isn’t quite at Wall*e level, but I think it matches the song quite well. Take a look and then download the song below:

MP3 Annuals – Sore

Caribou – Live @ Courtyard Café

I had little experience with Caribou going into last week’s show at the University of Illinois Courtyard Café and didn’t quite know what to expect from the band. I decided to head on up to Urbana with a few friends anyway and I’m extremely glad that I did. They band put on a hell of a show and made me an instant convert. Even though I got to the show late and missed F**k Buttons I was able to get a pretty decent spot in the overcrowded room for the very enjoyable evening.

Caribou used an array of psychedelic images that were projected onto stage and themselves (they all wore white clothing). The colorful patterns were synched with the music and were just ridiculously cool. The band put two drum sets front and center on the stage and the biggest highlights with the bass and guitar players in the back. There was also a laptop which played loops that filled out the band’s sound. The the drumming for this show was completely insane. I had heard that the drummer playing was a last-minute replacement, but you would never be able to tell by listening. He was completely solid, as was Dan Snaith, the lead singer who would often sit at the second drum set and join him in creating the frenzied percussion.

While I’m unsure of the titles of most of the songs they played I was told that they played a good variety from both of their albums and even some old stuff when they went by Manitoba. The songs were all full of sunny Beach Boys-like melodies and harmonies, with loops and grooves not unsimilar to Panda Bear (just much more structured). The music translated extremely well live partially due to crazy jamming that ended many of the songs. I ended up buying Andorra on vinyl after the show and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Check here to see if they’re coming to a town near you.

MP3 Melody Day
MP3 After Hours

Head over to Pictures For Kids Who Can’t Read Good to see all my pictures from the show.

Newsflashes: Islands, Muxtapes, Wolf Parades, Conchords

So the new Islands album is absolutely mind-blowing incredible. The vibe is totally different from the quirky indie pop of Return to Sea (which was one of my favorites of 2006), this is a epic, post-punk, freak-show album. It also has the best mid-song cover with “In The Rushes” since Okkervil River did “Sloop John B”. About midway the band starts playing the climax of The Who’s “A Quick One While He’s Away”. Rushmore Beekeepers! I would say more, but I’m still letting this album in all its glory sink in, so more Islands coverage to come and in the meantime check out these two band-approved tracks (both of which I love).

MP3 Islands – The Arm
MP3 Islands – Creeper

Also I’m seeing Islands on Friday. So excited!

I’ve really been enjoying this whole muxtape thing. I made one the other day of a few of my favorite tracks that I’ve featured this year from lesser known bands. Go listen here. Do you have a muxtape you’d like to share with me? Post it in the comments and I’ll give it a listen.

http://musicforants.muxtape.com

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Did you guys check out the new Wolf Parade song? At this point,, Mates of State, Of Montreal and this one are my most anticipated records of the year. I like this song and its jittery Spoon-like piano riffs. Spencer Krug is still a genius. Into the desert we must go..

MP3 Wolf Parade – Call It A Ritual

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So I got a hold of the new Flight of the Conchords disc, and even though I’ve heard all the songs numerous times I’m still enjoying listening to it. They’ve laid down some new instrumental tracks and added some extra verses to some of the songs (“Bowie” now has 80’s “Let’s Dance” freakout at the end). I would have liked to hear some new tracks and I’m slightly disappointed that “Jenny” isn’t on the CD. I’m hoping they save this song (which is probably my favorite) for a hilarious new season 2 episode.

MP3 Flight of the Conchords – Bowie

Too bad I couldn’t get Flight of the Conchords tickets for the Chicago Theatre. My electricity went out when they went on sale…

Cloud Cult – "Feel Good Ghosts" Track-by-Track Review

It’s completely amazing to me that Cloud Cult, who released my favorite album of 2007 exactly one year ago, have put together another album of this high caliber, in addition to non-stop touring, painting, and saving the world. Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) is another wonderful album from the band (although doesn’t quite top 8) and it’s the first album of the year that I’m giving the full track-by-track review treatment. If you haven’t already heard the album, I absolutely insist that you pick up a copy through Cloud Cult’s online store.

No One Said It Would Be Easy

The album begins with a completely stunning array of arpeggio piano notes and the rugged zig-zaw guitar that Cloud Cult is known for. The piano slowly dissipate as drums, acoustic guitar, and a choir of voices join in creating a beautiful, transcendent moment, it’s one of many (the album hasn’t even been on for a full minute). The song continues to impress with a chorus that could be used to explain many of Cloud Cult’s lyrical outputs: “when it all comes crashing down / you try to understand your meaning / no one said it would be easy / ’cause living it ain’t easy”. The guitar playing in this song is out of this world.

Everybody Here Is A Cloud – Download MP3

Judging from the music video that has been shot for this song that features over a hundred extras, this is Cloud Cult’s choice for first single, and a fine choice it is. If you’ve listened to the band much in the past you know how much they love songs that build from scratch to a huge finish, and this song is a perfect example of the technique. The song is incredibly fluid in it’s construction, even as it pieces together sections with different rhythm and tempo. By the time the conclusion comes (with kazoos!), you won’t know what just hit you. Let me also say how much I love the “bah duh / bah, bah, duh,duh” background vocals in this song.

The Tornado Lessons

The Tornado Lessons is an extremely quirky and short song with tornado sound effects, creepy halloween organ and sped-up chipmunk vocals mixed with regular speed vocals. Cool ending.

When Water Comes To Life – Download MP3

This is the first song I heard from this album, and it remains one of prettiest and affecting songs I’ve heard from the entire year. It begins with a extravagant string opening that almost have a theatrical quality. Throughout the song, the strings evoke a sense of water running or bubbles coming up to the surface. The vocals are the highlight, Craig Minowa starts out singing solo but is progressively joined by a choir of angelic voices singing “All you need to know / Is you are made of water”, with a razor sharp guitar line accompanying. Finally, the instrumentation swells and everyone starts chanting “Water, Water, Water!”, which provides a triumphant ending to this beautiful piece of work.

Must Explore

A quote recorded at the Apollo 15 moon landing “Houston, As I stand out here in the wonders of the unknown … I sort of realize there’s a fundamental truth to our nature. Man must explore.”

Journey Of The Featherless – Download MP3

Another absolutely gorgeous strings/acoustic guitar combo at the beginning of this song. Very upbeat and joyous song with out-of-the-blue references to “cell phones” and “ebay”. Craig Minowa gives another superb vocal performance here especially during the “Pretty Lucky / When I’m Gone” verse which has some great vocal layering. The strings are reprised at the end with some interesting/unique sound effects going on as well. Probably the most lighthearted, jubilant song I’ve heard from the band, and a major highlight for the album.

Click below to read the rest of the review.

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